In the opening 90 seconds of play Friday between the Red Wings and Predators, Nashville forward Mike Fisher shadowed Johan Franzen near the boards.

Fisher moved closer and swung his arms at the bulky Wings scorer. He struck Franzen on the nose, first with his stick, then his elbow.

Franzen began to bleed from the nose and a cut near his left eye.

Plainly enraged, he retaliated with his stick, cross-checking Fisher.

The referees missed Fisher's aggression, which could have earned him minor penalties for elbowing, high-sticking and an additional two for drawing blood. But, as is almost always the case in the NHL, the referees saw the retaliation.

It was Franzen who sat in the penalty box.

Except for the blood on Franzen's face and sweater, which resulted in an immediate trip to the Red Wings dressing room for repairs, Fisher's violations passed nearly unnoticed. Todd Bertuzzi had picked that juncture to exact his team's revenge against Shea Weber, for his assault on Henrik Zetterberg at the end of the game Wednesday.

It was quite a distraction.

Franzen skated with a cotton-blocker absorbing blood in his nose for much of the rest of the game.